Shoplifting suspect sought after pulling knife on Walmart security guards in Polk
LAKE WALES FL Oct 4 2019— The Lake Wales Police Department is searching for a woman who allegedly attacked Walmart security officers after they caught her shoplifting.
LWPD said Doronda Jo Ussery, 24, entered the Lake Wales Walmart on State Road 60 at 5:47 a.m. Sunday and shopped for two hours before heading to the self-checkout area.
She was told by security guards not to forget to pay for a pair of sunglasses and a backpack she was wearing. She removed the sunglasses, saying she didn’t want them anymore, and told security the backpack was her boyfriend’s.
She then left the store after paying $16.34 for items. But, loss prevention said she had an additional $358.23 worth of stolen goods on her.
She fled into the parking lot, dropping several cards with her name on them.
They told her they knew who she was, so she returned to the store with them.
Once inside the loss prevention office, they say Ussery, who lives in Avon Park, pulled a can of pepper spray from her purse and began spraying them with it. Security guards took the pepper spray away from her, but then she pulled out a 3- to-4-inch knife and began trying to stab them.
“Loss prevention believed they were in a fight for their life,” Lake Wales Police said.
Ussery fled the store, got into the passenger side of a red Chevy Cruz and left the area. Highlands County law enforcement led Lake Wales Police to the owner of the Cruz, telling the officers they were familiar with Ussery.
Ussery is wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft and battery. She has a lengthy arrest history.
Anyone with information on Ussery’s whereabouts should call Detective James Lewis at 863-678-4223, Ext. 264, or Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-8477.
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